Inkstand



F. E. MEYER Oct. 14, 1930.

INKSTAND Filed Oct. 3, 1929 EPA/v0.5 15 ME 7 51? dam,

Patented Oct. 14, 1930 UNITED] STATES PATENT OFFICE rnn vcxs E. MEYERQOF rnrLAnnLrHiA, rEnNsYLvANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'IHEO. AI.- TENEDER & sons, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, aconronnrron or PENN- SYLVANIA.

INKSTAND Application filed October 3, 1929. Serial No. 397,065.

This invention relates to inkstands and more particularly to improvements upon inkstands of the type disclosed in Patent 11. Alteneder July man to fill or charge a pen with ink by asingle handed operation.- \Vhile being rather effective for the puraose it has been found in practice that such inkstands as previously constructed are possessed of certain d1sadvantages mllitating against their universal use.

The principal objectionable features might be summarized as evaporation, varying ink charge and lack of adjustability generally.

Among the objects of this invention are: to obviate the disadvantages of earlier constructions of inkstands; to improve the construction of 'inkstands; to provide and inkstand, having means for recharging pens, with an efiective sealing device to preclude the evaporation of ink; to provide an inkstand with an improved receptacle or bottle i arranged to facilitate the recharging of pens without appreciable loss from evaporation; to provide an inkstand tor recharging pens in which the charge of ink is uniform in quantity regardless substantially of'the level of the ink in the container; toprovide an inkstand with means for centering the ink container with'relat-ion to the charging deviceby a single handed operation; to reduce the costs of manufacturing inkstands; and manyother-ob ects and advantages as will become. proceeds."

more apparent as the description In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1, represents a vertical section through an assembled inkstand according to this invention, and

bottle 12, arranged for laterally adjustable seating in the recess 11. This is in contrast to previous practice 1n that the, recess was just of sufiicient area as to receive the base 7 of a bottle without any possible lateral adjustment such as may be required of such bottles to allow for variations in size and contour. Centrally of the base and in close proximity to the periphery of the recess 11, a vertically upstanding lug 13 is provided, the upper plane surface of which is cut away as at 14 to seat the inner end of the spring clevis, clamp or yoke 15, the legs of which straddle, and

resilientlyupon, the constricted portion 16 of the bottle 12. The resilient clamp 15 is adj ustably fastened to the stop 13, by'the bolt or hand screw 17, having the knurled end or head 18 extending upwardly into a convenient position for gripping by the operator,

so as to vary the tension of the spring fingers upon the bottle, with ease and facility.

The rear portion of the stop 13 carries the horizontally spaced cars 20, between and with relation to which the lever arm 21 is arranged to pivot by means of a pin 22 passing through the cars 20. The lever arm 21 at its lower end carries the laterally offset handle 23. At its forward end the lever arm- 21 is enlarged as at 24 to a. diameter appreciably larger than the mouth of the bottle. The lower face of the enlargement 24 is substantially plane, as at 25, and is axially The lock nut has a knurled enlargement 34:;

and is arranged to threadably engage the threaded shank or stem 27. Locking movement of the nut 33 frictionally engages the threaded shank and holds same against movement, as will be clear, but also compresses and distorts the washer 32 into substantially air-tight engagement with the threads of the shank 27, to preclude evaporation.

The upper portion of the bottle 12 includes the restricted neck 9 and the outwardly tapered or flared conical mouth 19. In order to effect a tight seal for the mouth of the bottle, but one which is easily broken upon manipulation of the lever '21, a removable and, obviously, renewable closure element is provided. The closure is preferably cor-"- prised of an outer shell of substantial dish-shaped construction including an or wardly tapered annular wall 35, merging into an integral plane surfaced apertured disc 36, having a more or less yieldii'ig scaling element 37 en 'aged in the shell, ner periphery of Which tapered as form an inverted conical seal r with and seat upon the o conical mouth 1), of the bott a sealing connection. The connection is stantially air-tight for the length of the ourward surface of said flare, and it is note worthy, that the arc of movement t sure on the pivotal pin of the l ver a closer to the vertical than a line of the face 38, so that pivotal movement of the lever arm has no binding or frictional ict on, the mouth of the bottle. There is, therefore, no contacting sealing element in registry with the aperture or mouth op bottle as such mightprevenl: ment of the conical eleme It is to be observed that clearance, as l-O, is provided between the upper edge 01 rue ho and disc portion of the closure allow for we, to insure a proper and complete the closure on the bottle.

While it will be obvious that the construction. and material of the closure element may be of any desired sort, yet for illustrative purposes it may be mentioned that the preferred material is a fairly hard or resilient rubber composition, vulcanized into the shell described. This has long life, is wear resistant and effects a shock absorbing function when the lever is released and descends upon the bottle by gravi it will be understood of the that the shell with the vulcanized sealing element attached therein is removably attached to the lower plane face of the enlargement 24 of the arm, by means of screws ell.

In order to simplify the construction of the quill or ink conveying portion of the device, it is preferred that the threads on Sllllllh be carried to the end of the shank or sites; and that a filler of twisted wire or the like, as 42, be provided, the upper portion of which, as at comprises a helical coil arranged for threaded engagement on the threaded shank 27. his engagement sufiiciently tight as to cause the filler element to remain in a gi en position, but yet such as permits its angular disposition to be varied desired.

It will be obvious that inevitably there will be variations between given bottles, or between a pair of closure elements which might cause a greater or less degree of eccentricity of the parts such as might preclude sealing closure of the bottle. For this reason means are provided to facilitate proper registration of the elements by providing a variable tension on the fingers arranged to hold the bot tle, and the enlarged recess permitting lateral adjustments of the bottle on the base, as well as the peculiar relation of closure and bottle mouth whereby a centering of the bottle is had by simply moving the closure down on the bottle.

The initial positioning of the bottle 12 in its recess 11, in concentric centered relation to the closure element on the lever arm may be accomplished with facility simply retracting the screw 18 to relieve the pressure on the fingers of the yoke, dropping the closure element on the bottle mouth to slide it laterally to concentric seating alignment with the closure and tighten screw 18 when the bottle is properly located. With the improved closure disclosed, it will be understood that slight variations in the castings or in the construction or attachment of the shell of the closure need not make any difference in the proper disposition of the parts, inasmuch as dropping the lever arm until the closure engages the mouth of the bottle, with the pressure removed from the spring fingers, as will be clear, centers the bottle in its exactly proper place, and, moreover, this centering engagement is such as to maintain the centered relation during the time of tightening bolt 18, in order to impart locking pressure to the fingers of the yoke.

it will be obvious that the level of ink in the bottle will vary from time to time, and that it is desirable that the stem or shank be vertically adjusted, so as to insure that the filler or quill contain the same amount of ink, substantially, at each charging movement. It will be understood that it is a simple one handed operation to back off the lock nut 83 to a degree sulficient to permit rotation of the threaded shank in the desired direction to raise or lower the filler 42, after which the lock nut 34 may be twisted down upon the threaded shank so as to abut and compress the washer 32 into tight engagement with the threads on shank 37. It will be understood, moreover, that such manipulations and the continued use of the inkstand will be accomplished with aminimum of evaporation as an air-tight assembly is provided by means of the compressible washer 32.

The operation of the device will be quite clear, it being simply noted that there is nothing in the assembly of closure and bottle month which can prevent the instantaneous vertical separation of the parts, and yet when the hand is removed from handle 23, the closure, through. gravity alone, effects an absolutely air-tight seal with the flared conical mouth of the bottle. Obviously if desired resilient or other means (not shown) may be used to draw or hold the closure in sealing contact with the bottle mouth.

it is of interest, moreover, to note that the closure upon which most of the wear takes place, is capable of replacement at a minimum of expense, so as to render the life of the en tiredevice of indefinite but protracted duration.

I claim my invention:

1. In an inkstand, a base arranged to receive an ink reservoir, means for adjustably engaging such reservoir to hold it to the base, a closure element, means for moving the closure element in a lined predetermined path transverse to said base, the closure element including a conical surface arranged to trictionaliy engage the mouth of such reservoir to laterally adjust such reservoir to a position of substantial concentricity with the closure element, and a quill operatively associated with the closure element.

2. In an inlrstand in combination, a base, receptacle mounted on the base and having a rest "icted mouth, an arm pivoted to the base, a closure mounted on the arm and arranged to engage upon and seal the mouth of r cep tacle, a charging quill mounted on the arm and extending into said receptacle, and means for vertically adjusting the quill relative the arm in accordance with variations in the level of inlr in the receptacle. 7

3. In an inkstand in combination, a base, a receptacle mounted on the base and having a restricted mouth, an arm pivoted to the base, a closure mounted on the arm and arranged to engage upon and seal the mouth of said receptacle, a charging quill mounted on the arm and extending into said receptacle, and means for vertically adjusting the quill relative the arm in accordance with variations in the level of liquid in the container, said means including a compressible washer arran ed to bear against said quill to prevent leakage of air along said quill.

i. In an inkstand in combination, a bas having a shallow depression, a bottle of smaller diameter than said depression and arranged to seat therein, a lever arm pivotally mounted on said base, a closure element carried by said lever and having an internally recessed bottle engaging surface arranged to engage said bottle and to adjust it laterally in the recess so that it is substantially concentric with said closure, and resilient means for clamping the bottle against movement in the recess to maintain the adjusted position.

5. In an inlzstand in combination, a support, a bottle having'a conical mouth, a lever arm pivoted to the support, a closure removably mounted on said lever arm and comprised of a shell or metal and a lining secured to the shell, the lining having an inner periphery of inverted conical shape and arranged to seat upon the conical mouth of the bottle, the sealing connection between the closure and the mouth being substantially airti ht under the influence of gravity so as to preclude evaporation, but so arranged as to be instantaneously broken upon vertical arcuate movement of the closure away from the bottle.

6. In an inkstand in combination, a base, a lever arm pivoted thereto and having a vertical threaded opening and a concentric recess, a shank threadably mounted in the threaded opening and carrying a quill, a washer in the recess and an internally threaded lock washer slidably mounted in the recess to compressing engagement with the washer to provide for vertical adjustment or the shank while precluding the passage of air alon the threads thereof.

7 7. In an inkstand, a base arranged to receive an ink reservoir, an arm pivotally mounted on, the base, a closure element carried by the arm, the closure element including a conical surface arranged to frictionally engage the mouth of such reservoir to secure relative lateral adjustment between the closure element and such reservoir to such relaive positioning as will establish concenricity the closure element and such reservoir, nd quill operatively associated with "cilia, and State of Pennsylvania, this 5th of rug.,1929.

FRANCIS E. MEYER. 

